Redefine Properties Powers Cape Town’s Future with Flagship Solar Wheeling Project

Redefine Properties has officially launched its first purpose-built solar wheeling project at the Massmart Distribution Centre in Cape Town’s Brackengate 2 Precinct. Representing a landmark R106 million investment, this flagship initiative uses the strategic footprint of the Northern Suburbs as a clean-energy engine to power key commercial hubs right across the entire Cape Town metropolitan area.

A Clean Energy Engine in Brackengate

Spanning an impressive 57,000 square meters of roof space—equivalent to roughly eight rugby fields—the massive installation features 11,691 solar panels, 300 kilometers of cabling, 2 kilometers of rooftop walkways, and dedicated mini-substation infrastructure. Operating at 800V with a peak generating capacity of 7.014 MWp, the facility produces approximately 9,889 MWh of clean electricity every year.

Beyond its physical footprint, the facility prevents roughly 9,645 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. For the region as a whole, this translates into cleaner air, reduced carbon footprints, and a healthier local environment.

Beyond the North: How Wheeling Connects the Whole City

While the physical power plant calls Brackengate home, its impact stretches far beyond the Northern Suburbs. As part of the City of Cape Town’s pooled energy wheeling pilot program, surplus solar energy generated atop Brackengate’s industrial roofs is fed directly into the municipal grid via the local Rubicon Substation.

Rather than remaining trapped at a single localized site, this clean electricity is “wheeled” across the entire municipal network to supply major commercial and retail centres in Redefine’s broader portfolio—including Kenilworth Centre in the Southern Suburbs, Blue Route Mall in Tokai, and The Towers in the heart of the Cape Town City Bowl.

By transforming an industrial hub in Brackengate into a city-wide power generator, the project creates an interconnected, resilient energy grid. This smart cross-city energy distribution reduces demand on traditional power sources across the metro, directly enhancing overall grid stability and accelerating Cape Town’s journey toward becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.

Catalysing Metro-Wide Economic and Green Vitality

The project illustrates how large-scale industrial assets can serve as clean-energy anchors for an entire metropolitan region, showing that modern business growth and city-wide environmental sustainability work hand in hand.

“The significance of this project lies not only in the scale of the installation, but in the way it allows us to manage energy across our portfolio. By using the capacity of one asset to support others, we’re creating a more efficient and resilient portfolio,” explains Leon Kok, Chief Operating Officer at Redefine Properties.

Alderman Xanthea Limberg, City Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, commended the partnership:

“Cape Town stands proudly as South Africa’s leading metro, championing a just energy transition and pioneering innovative approaches through progressive policy reforms. These reforms have not only liberalised the local energy market but are also unlocking renewable energy opportunities that will power communities and businesses for decades to come.”

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A Connected, Sustainable Future for Cape Town

For residents and businesses right across the mother city, Brackengate’s solar powerhouse represents a major milestone. It proves that energy generated in one neighborhood can power everyday life, shopping, and work in another—setting a new benchmark for connected, city-wide sustainability.